First batch questions

Hi I recently made my first 2 gallon batch, I used yeast nutrients and also added in fruit (blueberries & raspberries) my question is more about the yeast process. Im using plastic fermenting buckets, I'm yet to see any activity in the airlock but I've heard that could be down to the gasses leaking out and I shouldn't worry but tonight I got curious and decided to take a quick peak in the bucket I didn't really see any foam but I could hear fizzing like cola fizzes and I could smell what I think is yeast. Is this normal for the mead fermenting process? Also when I looked at the bucket it looked like you could see a top layer of sesame to and also a bottom layer from the yeast dropping down.

darigoni said:

Sounds "normal".

How along has it been? One, two, three (or more days)?

Do you have a hydrometer?

Have you been doing daily stirrings/degassing?

Do you have a recipe?

Have you read the NewBee guide? (Link at top of page).

How can you see a bottom layer through the top layer?

Click to expand...

Hi thanks for the reply, it's now been a week, after posting this I had another look in the buckets and there is foam and it's all sizzling away. Yeah I've got a hydrometer the first reading I got was 12.5% I tried to do one again last night and the reading had dropped down 8% not sure what that all means since I'm new to this. I haven't been doing stirrings I didn't know you were meant to do that, I sealed them a week ago and have just left them alone in my spare room. Each time I go in the room you can smell yeast straight away. When I said I can see a bottom layer it's from looking at the side of the bucket it looks like it's forming a lower sediment layer at the bottom but again not to sure. There's definitely activity going on though.